


Seventeen, Fifty-Seven

by mayachain



Series: birthday!verse [37]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Birthday, Double Life, Family Secrets, M/M, Marauders' Era, Post-Canon, your teenage self would not recognize you at all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-16 12:06:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9270008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayachain/pseuds/mayachain
Summary: Two times Severus faced the future on his birthday.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I almost made it before midnight and then AO3 bugged out on me. Dammit, AO3.

**January 9th, 1977**

Severus was swaying slightly as he crawled under the covers, pausing repeatedly to make sure the vial was still secure on his nightstand. Despite his initial misgivings – despite not really wanting to drink – 

His first day as a legal adult had not gone over badly at all.

As a half-blood, he had never had the best relationship with his housemates, but the sight of Lucius Malfoy’s owl dropping off a finest quality bottle of firewhiskey had swayed the Slytherins enough in his favour during breakfast to celebrate the day with him.

Severus was not sure whether Black the younger had been bribed to do it, but the Gryffindor table had been very effectively distracted. He’d half been afraid that Potter and his fellow degenerates would still manage to steal the treasure from under his nose somehow – it hadn’t happened.

Lily had ignored him for most of the day, which had hurt, however much he didn’t want to admit it. ‘But she cared enough to put a top notch hangover potion into my hand.’ Clearly, Regulus had failed to distract _her_.

The firewhiskey had been excellent. The bottle was empty now, but it had re-filled itself enough times throughout the evening to serve every single one of his drinking mates. Slughorn had gone back to turning a blind eye after scoring a glass for himself, something a slightly tipsy Severus hadn’t minded enough to resent.

The effort Lucius had clearly gone through made Severus a little more confident that the Death Eaters would honour their promise of letting him get a head start on an apprenticeship during the summer. ‘Another year and few months and I’ll have my NEWTs,’ he thought as he waited for the room to stop spinning, ‘a position at the Dark Lord’s side, a future.’ He would be free to prove his worth in all the ways he couldn’t yet. He would never have to go back to Spinner’s End.

Turning seventeen today was only the start. 

 

**January 9th, 2017**

Severus paced through the gardens behind Malfoy Manor, deeply unsettled. He had been so disconcerted after Nahuel’s announcement that Remus had ushered him out of his own party so he could have a few moments to think. 

A book tour.

He’d known that the select excerpts from _Accursed Caves in Five Continents_ that had been published early had been well received in certain circles. But this…

A book tour. Public events where people would come and crowd around and wish to talk to all seven authors, Severus – Aguilar – among them. People who would _see_ him.

“The whole thing would take place in far away from Britain South America,” Nahuel had assured him, but… ‘Would it be worth the risk? Even with my enhanced glamour?’

It would be nothing like the undignified affairs of Lockhart’s. Remus had starred in five since the war, two of them in Diagon Alley… ‘However, Remus is teaching at Hogwarts every other year and _not hiding_.’

Nahuel wanted the first solo signings to start as early as March. Carceres wasn’t at all sure their book could even be published by then, but… ‘Remus might not even be able to go with me.’

He knew Remus would support him no matter what, even if it inconvenienced their colleagues and friends. Insistent as he had been half an hour ago, Nahuel would not actually force him into anything. Draco had made sure long ago that the _publisher_ could not force him into anything. ‘And yet…’

The look on Teddy’s face when he’d heard about it.

For his own sake, as long as his work was appreciated Severus would be content to not exist in the public eye for all eternity.

‘The hiding…’

Only existing in the confines of their home – or nearly so – had been one thing while Teddy had been young, had become only a slightly different thing while the boy had lived at school for the better part of the year. The boy was a man now and beginning to build his own life.

He stared unseeingly at Neville’s perfectly maintained beds of potions ingredients and tried to clear his mind.

With the exception of Remus’ alternate at Hogwarts it was unlikely anyone from Britain would care enough about _Caves_ to attend. ‘Unless they are Curse Breakers and have already initiated correspondence.’

Would it be worth the risk?

 

.


End file.
